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Biomedical subjects

L Weissbach

Publications and source records attributed to L Weissbach.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

The beta chain of chicken fibrinogen contains an atypical thrombin cleavage site.

A cDNA corresponding to almost the entire coding region of the mRNA for the beta chain of chicken fibrinogen was sequenced. At the protein level, significant homology to the beta subunits of other vertebrate fibrinogens was found, with the highest degree of amino acid identity localized in the C-terminal region. In general, features conserved in the fibrinogens from other species also characterize the chicken sequence, including the cysteine motifs bordering an alpha-helical permissive region of fixed length and a single glycosylation site in the C-terminal region. However, the site of thrombin-catalyzed cleavage, which in other species consists of an Arg-Gly peptide bond, is instead an Arg-Ala bond in the chicken beta chain. The Ala was confirmed directly from a sequencing analysis of the purified beta chain of chicken fibrin. This finding may explain the observed slow clotting time of chicken fibrinogen relative to that of other species.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Adjuvant chemotherapy of metastatic stage II nonseminomatous testis tumor.

In a prospective randomized trial, 225 patients with stage IIB nonseminomatous testis tumor after radical retroperitoneal lymph node dissection received 2 versus 4 courses (arms 1 and 2, respectively) of adjuvant chemotherapy with cis-platinum, vinblastine and bleomycin. With a median followup of 43 months, a total of 7 relapses occurred; 6 in arm 1 and 1 in arm 2. Three patients died: 2 during adjuvant chemotherapy and 1 of progressive disease. The difference in relapse rates between arms 1 and 2 is not statistically significant. Patient compliance differed: chemotherapy was administered according to protocol in 83% and 50% of the cases in arms 1 and 2, respectively. Most frequent side effects observed were nausea, vomiting and alopecia. No significant differences regarding these or other side effects were obtained. Patients with stage IIB nonseminomatous testis tumor after retroperitoneal lymph node dissection are treated sufficiently with 2 courses of adjuvant cis-platinum-containing chemotherapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[Effectiveness and tolerance of cefixime in the treatment of acute pyelonephritis].

In a prospective, open clinical study, 50 urological patients with acute pyelonephritis were treated with the oral cephalosporin cefixime. The medication (2 x 200 mg/day) was given for seven to ten days. Clinical, bacteriological as well as hematological examinations were carried out prior to, during and immediately after therapy. A late check-up was performed five to nine days after the end of therapy. 46 of the 50 cases were evaluable for efficacy, and all 50 patients were included in safety evaluation. The most frequent pathogens isolated prior to therapy were Escherichia coli (34 times), Proteus mirabilis (six times), Klebsiella pneumoniae (twice) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (twice). Immediately after the end of therapy the pathogens were eradicated in 44 (97.5%) patients. At the late check-up the urine was sterile in 29 (63%) patients. A relapse was observed in 11 patients, a reinfection in four and the initially isolated pathogens had persisted in two. Immediately after the end of therapy 44 (95.7%) patients were clinically cured and two patients had improved. At the late check-up 41 patients were classified as clinically cured, three showed improvement, and two improvement with relapse. Adverse reactions (one case nausea and exanthem, and one case of meteorism) occurred in two patients. No changes in the blood counts or in the liver and kidney functions were observed. In the study described here cefixime proved to be an effective and well tolerated antibiotic for the treatment of upper urinary tract infections; it is of particular interest that 16 of the 50 patients presented with underlying disease favoring infection.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1990

Bipartite mRNA for chicken alpha-fibrinogen potentially encodes an amino acid sequence homologous to beta- and gamma-fibrinogens.

Overlapping cDNAs derived from the chicken alpha-fibrinogen mRNA have been sequenced, beginning from within the coding region for the signal peptide of this subunit and terminating within the poly(A) extension. The predicted size of chicken alpha-fibrinogen is 54,187 daltons, which is the smallest of any alpha chain reported; the oligopeptide repeats that characterize the central regions of the other alpha subunits were conspicuously absent. A further unexpected finding was the presence on the mRNA of a separate, long open reading frame (752 nucleotides), beginning 312 nucleotides downstream from the alpha-fibrinogen coding sequence and containing intron-like features near its 5' end. The protein sequence predicted from this second open reading frame lacks an initiating methionine but is homologous to the C-terminal regions of all known beta- and gamma-fibrinogens as well as the C termini of two nonfibrinogen proteins: cytotactin (tenascin), an extracellular matrix protein, and pT49, a putative protein specific to cytotoxic T cells. The intron-like features of the second open reading frame immediately precede the region of common homology, and the beginnings of the corresponding homologous segments in the beta- and gamma-fibrinogen sequences are marked by aligned intron positions. Based on these findings, it is proposed that fibrinogen gene evolution included a fusion of two distinct ancestral genes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Adjuvant systemic chemotherapy after complete transurethral resection of superficially invasive bladder carcinoma (T1 G3-4 and T2 G2-4).

A prospective multicenter phase-two study was initiated in 1983 to evaluate the effect of systemic chemotherapy after complete resection of T1 G3-4 and T2 bladder carcinomas. Chemotherapy consisted of three cycles of cisplatin alone, a modified MVAC scheme or the combination of cisplatin and methotrexate. 52 patients entered the study. After a medium follow-up of 36 months 11 patients developed progression of the disease; cystectomy had been performed in 8 patients and 6 patients died due to progressive bladder carcinoma. These encouraging results should be the base for a randomized trial with the aim to improve survival and avoid cystectomy in selected patients with superficially invasive bladder cancer.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1990

Surgical treatment of stage-I non-seminomatous germ cell testis tumor. Final results of a prospective multicenter trial 1982-1987. Testicular Tumor Study Group.

Final results of a prospective multicenter trial are presented comparing modified (ipsilateral) and radical retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RLND) with regard to staging accuracy, curativity, and preserved ejaculation in stage-I non-seminomatous testis tumor. In 168 patients after modified and 67 patients after radical RLND, no differences were found in relapse rates (17 and 15%, respectively; median follow-up 30 months); in frequency of retroperitoneal relapse (2.4 and 1.5%, respectively), and intra-/postoperative complications (12 and 10%, respectively). Postoperative ejaculation was antegrade in 74 and 34%, (p less than 0.001), retrograde in 11 and 12% respectively. Normozoospermia was found in 50% of patients postoperatively vs. 20% preoperatively. Results are discussed in view of other alternatives. Modified RLND is considered an optimal approach to stage-I non-seminomatous germ cell testis tumor, outside specific trials.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[Initial therapy of acute unilateral epididymitis using ofloxacin. I. Clinical and microbiological findings].

In a prospective study, 70 men suffering from uncomplicated acute unilateral epididymitis were treated initially with 2 x 200 mg ofloxacin p.o. per day for 14 days. Patients were reexamined at the end of therapy and again after 6 and 12 weeks. Patients were retreated when the pathogens had not been eliminated. Aetiologically epididymitis was caused in one-third of cases each by C. trachomatis (n = 20) and common urinary tract pathogens (n = 20); in the remaining one-third we found N. gonorrhoeae (n = 1). U. urealyticum (n = 3), or no pathogens (n = 26). At the first check-up examination, in 64/70 patients no pathogens were found. Relevant bacteria were still detected in 6 patients: C. trachomatis in 5 and E. aerogenes in 1. After 12 weeks, infection still persisted in 3 patients (E. coli, P. aeruginosa, enterococci). In vitro the microorganisms were invariably sensitive to ofloxacin. Due to abscess formation, surgical intervention became necessary in 6 patients. In 3 of these cases the causative agent was C. trachomatis. Regardless of the aetiology, after 12 weeks, in 20% of our patients the epididymis was still infiltrated and 14% complained of persistent symptoms.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1990

[Initial therapy of acute unilateral epididymitis using ofloxacin. II. Andrological findings].

A total of 70 men suffering from uncomplicated acute unilateral epididymitis were enrolled in a prospective study. They were treated initially with 2 x 200 mg ofloxacin p.o. per day for 14 days, after which the spermatological examination was repeated for each. Ejaculate quality, i.e. density, motility, and morphology of spermatozoa, was determined on the last day of therapy, i.e. after 14 days, and again after 6 and 12 weeks. In most patients, initially decreased sperm counts increased significantly and global motility improved, while the numbers of abnormal spermatozoa decreased. Only in a few cases were azoospermia, kryptozoospermia, consistently reduced motility, and constant or even increasing numbers of deformed spermatozoa observed.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1989

Risk/benefit of treating retroperitoneal teratoid bulky tumors.

Inductive polychemotherapy of germinal cell tumors in advanced stages (T0-4N3M0,1) is effective, yet accompanied by serious side effects. Partial remission necessitates resection of the residual tumor. The complications of the salvage operation are tolerable in proportion to its curativity. In a retrospective analysis, we evaluated the occurrence of toxic side effects and the frequency of intra- and postoperative complications in 128 patients with retroperitoneal teratoid bulky tumor. With a follow-up of three to one hundred ten months (means = 43 months), 91 patients (71%) are alive without evidence of disease; 28 patients (22%) died of apparent tumor progression.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1989

[Early detection of a contralateral second carcinoma in patients with testicular tumors caused by testicular carcinoma in situ].

Carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the testis is considered to be a precursor of germ cell cancer. Diagnosis is made by the conventional biopsy technique. Only for patients at risk is a screening biopsy justifiable. This group includes patients with testicular cancer in whom the incidence of contralateral second germ cell tumors is increased. In a prospective study we found three cases of testicular CIS in biopsies from the contralateral testes of 61 such patients. All cases with a diagnosis of CIS presented with testicular atrophy (volume less than 12 ml), associated with necrozoospermia in one patient and with azoospermia in two patients. Treatment consisted in local irradiation (20 Gy) of the remaining testis to preserve Leydig cell function. In control biopsies no evidence of CIS or germ cells was found. More than 3 months after therapy, plasma testosterone levels were normal and LH and FSH levels were increased. None of the patients with negative biopsy (n = 49) who were followed up was found to have a second cancer of the contralateral testis. The average observation time so far is 17.2 months.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1988

[Risk and benefit of the treatment of bulky retroperitoneal teratoid tumors].

Inductive polychemotherapy of germinal cell tumors in advanced stages (T0-4N3,4M0,1) is effective, but is accompanied by serious side effects. If partial remission occurs, it is necessary to resect the residual tumor. The complications involved in this salvage operation are tolerable in relation to the prognosis. In a retrospective analysis, we evaluated the occurrence of toxic side effects and the frequency of intra- and postoperative complications in 128 patients with retroperitoneal teratoid bulky tumor. After a follow-up period of 3-110 months (mean = 43 months), 91 patients (71%) are still alive with no evidence of disease; 28 patients (22%) have died of apparent tumor progression.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗